Selcuk Bayraktar’s TB2 drones played a pivotal role in stalling Russia’s invasion on the plains of Ukraine, blowing up the Kremlin’s military convoys on their way to Kyiv.

The drones remain a part of Ukraine’s long-term plans for its defense. Bayraktar’s company is building a manufacturing plant in the country as Western support wavers. Azerbaijan used them against Armenian forces in 2020. In Libya, they helped thwart an attack by a Russian-backed warlord.